Friday, January 28, 2005

Elsewhere mentions of mine in other blogs.

See the comments area:

One is to Grassroots PA: "PoliticsPA."
Posted by at

9 comments:

Mark Rauterkus said...

Because a great number of the Pittsburgh voters are so smart, as SamInTheBurgh wrote, Diven could get third in the race. It is possible. And, Diven could get second in the race for entry into special election among Republicans.

David Jayson wants the seat too, and he's running as a real Republican.

Diven is in a gamble situation. How he plays it matters greatly. Time will tell.

Harrisburg has given us (city folks) some less than ideal options in the past. I fear this is more of the same.

Shameless self promotion: Time to "THINK AGAIN" -- and support my campaign. I'm the first on the ballot in the special election for PA Senate 42nd. We'll see if Diven even makes it here before I talk much about him.

January 28, 2005 7:25 AM
Mark Rauterkus said...

Not in My Sandbox at Pittsblog.blogspot.com has this:

Mark Rauterkus's remedy for the childish behavior of the Act 47 recovery team and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA) is sunshine. Open meetings, open reports, open processes.

Not a bad first step, by any means, but hardly the last one, either. Even in the sunshine, and even with new leadership, are Pittsburgh politicians capable of solving Pittsburgh problems?

January 28, 2005 7:27 AM
Mark Rauterkus said...

My comment:

Thanks for the link. Not sure what to make of the title of the post, NOT IN MY SANDBOX? (please explain)

Should I not post here? Doubt it. ??

Does remind me of a pending campaign song I hope to release, "Lay the Shovel Down." (more later)

But, your question, to the point, is twisted. With NEW LEADERSHIP, are Pittsburgh politicians capable of solving Pittsburgh's problems?

Pittsburgh's politicians -- by and larger -- are NOT capable of solving Pgh's problems. So, toss the bumbs out. Then the Pgh politicians are in private sector. Then comes new leadership. And, those new folks (I hope and expect and will insure) will fix the problems.

The next generation of Pittsburgh politicians can and will fix our problems.

Of course, being open isn't the last step. But it needs to be the first, much like a dance with a long, warm, wet, embrace.

January 28, 2005 7:28 AM
Mark Rauterkus said...

At The Conversation: http://jonathanpotts.blogspot.com/2005/01/greasy-palms.html#comments


Greasy palms -- so goes the headline of this blog entry. Rather, we nearly got slimed, as in the thing that Ghostbusters had to cope with. That's more like a whole body job -- not just a stickey handshake.

Dan did some dancing on this one. Wish I had it on tape even.

Nice we didn't build the hanger for the airbus overhauls. We were going to build it and lease it back to the airline.

Perhaps this is the start of a new day? But Dan would still want to rush to go meet with them again. Wonder if he is mad enough to try harder next time or so made that he'll change his tune about corporate welfare?

Kills me too how corporate welfare is so pragmatic in some circles.

January 28, 2005 7:29 AM
Mark Rauterkus said...

-- about Murphy and being guilty --
It is one thing to spend $1M on a campaign for political office for a job that pays $90k. That $1M can be from a family fortune or from "donors."

But, it is another thing to spend the public funds from the public chest so as to keep in office. Murphy spent away the city's assets so as to retain his job.

Murphy even paved streets to win votes. That goes above and beyond the madness of buying votes at >$30 each with campaign funds.

Where in the world do they fix (repave) the surface of the street and then do the sewer pipes four months later? Only in Pittsburgh before a Dem primary if the mayor is in a dual with another long-time machine politician who heads city council.

The firefighter contract is but the tip of the iceberg, IMNSHO.

The real question of the hour, like Ford had, is do we pardon the guy? And, why not eject him from Grant Street NOW? Danger lingers and the ills worsen each week.

January 29, 2005 8:50 AM
Mark Rauterkus said...

(GrassRoots PA blog)

I'm not desperate. I'm responsive. You've not seen much of the later in these parts ever before.

But the city's fate as that with the county/region is DESPERATE. The brink is near if not in our rear view.

A "real Republican" -- or person -- without money and without name ID might still have much more than nothing if there is a good grip on issues, better ideas and principles. My priorities are something else and something to be proud about.

January 30, 2005 3:58 PM
Mark Rauterkus said...

On mergers:

Merger is one thing. A bailout is another. Mergers happen when there is something of value on both sides. Sadly, the city is in such a state that the City brings, (to be clear, here the City means public governmental entity and not fabric of the city life) nothing to the table.

Today, most talk of merger is simply bailout and not merger.

I'm a city resident and a county resident. From both vantage points, I don't want a bailout. First, the City needs to get on its feet. Then serious talks of true mergers can begin. I don't want the county to be pulled downard by the extra burden that the City delivers.
Mark Rauterkus | Email | Homepage | 01.31.05 - 9:52 am | #

Another way to merge -- and one I've talked about for nearly a year now is a three way merger that gives a new outcome. Take a little from A, B, C, D and make Z. Then Z can live a healthy life and the others do better too. Win-Win-Win squared.

Take Citiparks out of City, take Parks & Rec out of County, take afterschool out of Pgh Public Schools, and take a nice chunk out of the RAD Tax that goes to those places now, add in some extras (Pgh Parks Conservancy, etc.) and then we'd get (like they have in Illinois) a new PITTSBURGH PARK DISTRICT.

More at http://DSL.CLOH.Org/v1

January 31, 2005 9:54 AM
Mark Rauterkus said...

To the Grassroots PA blog, comments:

Diven can't run and win as an Indie. Diven strongly considered the idea of an Indie race the outset. Diven should run as an Indie as that is where he belongs after being booted by the Dems.

Diven's status TODAY in the Dem community is NOT being considered in the thread, IMHO. The Dems are starting to line-up NOW to run for his seat as it becomes open.

Diven doesn't have time to work on the old Dem friends he did have and to make new ones on the R side. And, he isn't going to be doing this in a vacume.

Diven needs to become a star in the HOUSE for a year or so on the R side of the isle. Diven can't perform in Harrisburg worth squat if he is spending the next four months on the trails in Allegheny County. Diven is already playing catch-up in the Capital with the switch and his debt locally.

I expect Diven will be the one to bow out of the race sooner than Jayson. And, I expect Diven to claim a stake at the PA Senate seat 42nd (as a real GOP Challenger) as the term ends in two short years.

This was my advice to Diven to his face. Diven was my State Rep in the past. Diven can and should ride a few more news cycles. Its good for the resume boost. But he'll cut out and get serious about the job he has to do in Harrisburg -- NOW.

The guys in Harrisburg migh have thought about things in their minds on cold night recently. But, in the real world, the thaw will come. Diven needs to be a good state rep in the new season and then he's the type that needs to RAMP up for the future race, bigger area, new party, etc.

Ta.

February 03, 2005 9:21 PM
Mark Rauterkus said...

More on Diven:

(another poster at Grassroots PA wrote)
Mark;
respectfuly you are wrong
Diven has the right stuff
danielle | 02.03.05 - 10:37 pm | #

My reply:

Thanks for the respect. Lots of people thought Murphy had the right stuff too. Diven and Murphy are big pals. Perhaps the two of them can hold hands for the next ten years too -- both in the private sector. We might agree that someone's junk is another's treasure. No doubt, Diven has stuff. And, no doubt, people are going to like it. Time will tell if it is right or the most popular.

I've heard some of Diven's downtown plan. Heavy handed. Another authority. Big, costly aspirations. Sounds familiar. Hope it come out soon -- but don't hold your breath.

If stuff = uncertainty then Diven wins in a landslide.

I think that this race offers an opportunity to make a break from the ruts we find ourselves in today. Right stuff in the past = wrong stuff for the future.

February 04, 2005 8:34 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)